Starlight Children's Foundation partners with experts and corporations to improve in meaningful ways the life and health of kids and families around the world. Nintendo has been a partner of Starlight for 22 years and has supplied Fun Centers to many hospitals, to provide hospitalized children entertainment and distraction (from pain), mainly in the United States, since the days of Nintendo 64 (that center featured a very bulky blue and orange Nintendo 64). In 2008, they launched the current Fun Center which features a Sharp AQUOS flat-screen television, a DVD player, a Wii system (with a hard drive) and a selection of family-friendly Wii games like Super Mario Galaxy, Wii Sports, Mario Party 8 and more (it's quite a big lineup they have). This replaced the Gamecube Fun Center which had been in operation since 2003.



Back in early 2013, in January I think, I contacted Nintendo of America to see if they were planning on bringing a Wii U version of the Fun Center to hospitals. The reply I got was that they were evaluating this. Since then, I haven't heard a peep. One thing to note here however is that the launches of the Fun Centers follow a rather strict pattern.

Gamecube

November 18, 2001 | Nintendo Gamecube launch (US)
Aug. 13, 2003 | Gamecube Fun Center launch

Time between: 633 days (1 year, 8 months, 26 days excluding the end date)

Wii

November 19, 2006 | Wii launch (US)
June 25, 2008 | Wii Fun Center launch

Time between: 584 days (1 year, 7 months, 6 days excluding the end date)

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As you can see, the time between launch of a console to launch of corresponding Fun Center, it's a little more than one and a half years (in average 1,66601779 years). From the time of the US Wii U launch to today, it's 576 days (1 year, 6 months, 30 days excluding the end date). So if there is a Wii U Fun Center lurking in the shadows, now would be the best time to reveal it. But, would it be a good decision?

Well, as we all know Wii U ain't faring that well, though recent increased sales due to Mario Kart 8 is of course nice to see. It's way behind that of the Wii U in 2008, and closer to how Gamecube did in 2003. However, regardless of the sales of respective console at a certain point of time, Nintendo still launched a Fun Center and as far as I'm aware, the feedback has only been positive. So, what could launching a Wii U Fun Center achieve?

Well, this is what I can think of at the moment:

• Exposing the Wii U at up to over 1200 facilities (over 7000 units in operation)
• Establishing further goodwill/improving corporate reputation
• Showing that Nintendo is modern and willing to "evolve"
• Providing a good foundation for QOL whenever that launches

To exchange the Wii Fun Centers at all locations may be a task too big (also, sponsorship for these units are currently at $5,000), but if they can get Wii U into key locations in Los Angeles, New York, Texas etc., it's a nice step on the way. Of course you will have to look at a lot of factors such as where the Wii U is on its lifespan and what it in terms of new ways for entertainment and also rehabilition can offer. It's definitely a risk, but I would assume Nintendo wants to get the Wii U out to as many people as possible, and by showing continued care for hospitalized children by providing new and modern equipment with lots of features the Wii is lacking, they can do so quite "easily". And they can't really continue relying on old merits, the Wii software offered via the Fun Center won't stay fresh forever.

If they choose not to launch a Wii U Fun Center, what do you think the consequences could be? Could it damage their relationship with Starlight perhaps, lower reputation?

I thankfully have no children hospitalized so I personally wouldn't be affected by Nintendo launching or not launching a new version of the Fun Center. But I think about these things becoming more and more obsolete as Microsoft and Sony certainly also must be making their way into the lives of hospitalzed children, in one way or another. They certainly have some family friendly series as well, but with such a long partnership between Nintendo and Starlight, it would be sad to see Donkey Kong, Mario, Kirby etc. not being around in the near future to provide a way for children to relax and entertain themselves during difficult hospital stays. What do you think, a good idea or should Nintendo perhaps "wait it out" and provide Fun Centers incorporating the successor to Wii U instead?

Maybe its taking longer because its still expensive to manufacture.

Wow I had no idea this existed.

This was actually in my mind a few weeks ago. I think that the thing that keeps them from doing it is cost of GamePad maintenance. You fuck up a remote or a nunchuck, big fucking deal, fixed in minutes for not much money.

A Gamepad though?

im not gonna do the joke that im thinking

but someone will


still time to do this tho, right?

I remember those N64 fun centers. Didn't realize they were still going on but I haven't been to a children's hospital or section of a hospital in over a decade.

I want Wii U fun centers to replace N64 consoles in hotels. Yes... I still see those. 0_0

But yeah, Nintendo should hop on more good PR opportunities that expose families to the Wii U and its games - 3D World, Tropical Freeze, Nintendo Land, etc.

HUELEN10 said:

This was actually in my mind a few weeks ago. I think that the thing that keeps them from doing it is cost of GamePad maintenance. You fuck up a remote or a nunchuck, big fucking deal, fixed in minutes for not much money.

A Gamepad though?

Click to expand...

Precisely my thought. You'd have to practically try to kill their previous consoles' controllers. The Wii U on the other hand? An expensive and comparably fragile controller being handled by kids in environments with hard floors... What could go wrong?

HUELEN10 said:

This was actually in my mind a few weeks ago. I think that the thing that keeps them from doing it is cost of GamePad maintenance. You fuck up a remote or a nunchuck, big fucking deal, fixed in minutes for not much money.

A Gamepad though?

Click to expand...

True. This could probably be fixed by having the GamePad in some kind of slow moving robot arm which prevents it flying all over the place. As for the screen, there could be some kind of cover. Or they could make the GamePad a "secondary" experience and instead focus on the games with Wii Remote/Classic Controller support.

Rösti;116887322 said:

True. This could probably be fixed by having the GamePad in some kind of slow moving robot arm which prevents it flying all over the place. As for the screen, there could be some kind of cover. Or they could make the GamePad a "secondary" experience and instead focus on the games with Wii Remote/Classic Controller support.

Click to expand...

The first option is rather impractical. Any tethering device that prevents the controller from dropping would either be very clunky and non ergonomic, or ridiculously expensive. From a practicality standpoint, you'd be better off with a custom made rugged gamepad that eschews their normal design for a reinforced pad that's more or less entirely encased in thick shock absorbing rubber.

The second option of basically removing the gamepad would be utterly besides the point if they wanted to expose kids to the Wii U. A Wii U without the pad is basically half of their target experience. So long as they're focusing on gaming experiences that depend on the gamepad, they'd be crazy to purposefully expose people to a U that doesn't have that functionality.